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Ohioans Should Brace for Obamacare Sticker Shock

Obamacare will dramatically increase health insurance premiums throughout Ohio for young and middle-aged men and women alike, based on the most accurate policy data available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Obamacare premium estimates are not readily available for all ages, but figures HHS has released indicate that Ohioans in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s in every county should expect to pay steep costs for President Obama's signature legislative achievement.

A Media Trackers comparison of Obamacare "Gold" plans from HHS and existing policies with similar deductibles listed at eHealth found that:

Obamacare plans for 27-year-old female nonsmokers will cost at least $100 per month -- or $1,200 per year -- more than pre-Obamacare health insurance policies in 72 of Ohio's 88 counties.

Obamacare premiums for 27-year-old male nonsmokers will be at least $100 per month more expensive than pre-Obamacare premiums in 85 of 88 counties -- and at least $200 more per month in 15 counties.

Compared to pre-Obamacare policies for 50-year-old female nonsmokers, Obamacare plans will cost at least $1,000 more per year in all 88 counties, at least $2,000 more per year in 54 counties, and at least $3,000 more per year in 16 counties.

Obamacare premiums for 50-year-old male nonsmokers will cost at least $100 more per month than current policies in all 88 counties, at least $200 more per month in 61 counties, and at least $300 more per month in 14 counties.

Statewide annual estimates weighted using county populations from the 2010 Census are shown in the following table.

Obamacare Bronze plans are the cheapest policies for individuals over the age of 30, except in cases of financial hardship; Catastrophic plans are available to those 30 and under. Most Bronze and Catastrophic plans have annual deductibles at least three times greater than the policies quoted from eHealth for this analysis.

Because Obamacare is a redistributive system by design, proponents counter concerns about premiums by pointing to the federal subsidies some Ohioans will receive. A Kaiser Family Foundation study released November 5 estimated that 554,000 Ohioans will qualify for Obamacare subsidies.

For those eligible for the law's entitlement benefits, a portion of Obamacare's astronomical premiums will be borne by taxpayers -- many of whom will also be paying higher costs for their own insurance as a result of the Democrats' latest socialized medicine program.

Combined with the implosion of President Obama's vow that "if you like your plan, you can keep it," this means more Ohioans than expected may be pushed into Ohio's federally-run Obamacare "marketplace."

The following maps demonstrate exactly how severe and far-reaching Obamacare's premium increases will be for Ohioans in a range of demographic groups. Click each map for further Media Trackers analysis.

Ability to pay Subsidies? are you kidding me.. the IRS has that responsibility and they manage all the purse strings.. I'm not worried.A $2000 deductible for a Medical Mutual Silver plan is not what I would call a High Deductible.Jason my man.. there is no way you can compare a "current" eHealth plan to an Obamacare plan.. it's like comparing peanuts to watermelons.Currently, for the same 'deductible' and coverage policy.. you do not have the following:1) Coverage for a person with pre-existing conditions. That is currently NON- EXISTANT.2) Every current policy be it Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum currently has an Annual cap and an Lifetime cap. So, if you or any member of your family has a serious 'permanent' health issue. Today's policies will eventualy RUN OUT.. and your stuck paying 100% for the rest of your life.3) Today, if your a woman.. in many cases.. you have to pay Hundreds of dollara a month in additional premiums for maternity coverage.. and once you have a c-section you have a pre-existing condition.4) Today, if your young and between the ages of 22 and 26 and without a job, you are screwed.. not with Obamacare.. you can remain on your parents policy.. even if you live by yourself and get married.Etc.. Etc.. Etc... Like I said.. your giving a bean for my watermelon.. NO COMPARISON.. Sir.

1. Ohio's Governor decided NOT to create and maintain the State's own Health Exchange
but to turn over that responsibility to the Federal government. And what did that do?

a. Prevents the Ohio State exchange from "negotiating" insurance policy prices. That
right was 'forfeited'. So now Ohio is on the Federal exchange and paying a premium
that the Insurance company wants. And you wonder why the prices have gone up?

b. Even at these higher prices (profits), when purchasing an "individual" policy the
Ohioan can qualify for a Government subsidy if the Individual Income is less than
$46,000 and a family of 4 Income is less than $96,000. You do realize if Ohio
was running this exchange.. the premiums would be lower, but, those that are getting
subsidies would still be paying the same for their policy.. hmm, so that means the
insurance company is now getting more subsidy money from the Federal
Government? I'm SHOCKED.

2. This article is analysing the "Gold" policies... which I'm afraid covers a very small
segment of the population... Most policies are either Bronze or Silver... so why not
analyze one of those catagories? Cause they didn't go up? Hmmm.

Wow Vlad, it's neat that you have unblinking faith in the federal government's willingness to give states flexibility and its ability to pay the promised subsidies.

I also like that you presume the high-deductible Bronze and Silver plans will be cheaper than existing low-deductible policies... though I explained that I analyzed Gold premiums because they have the most comparable deductibles to the policies I quoted from eHealth.

By the way, even Obamacare's Bronze/Catastrophic plans WILL be more expensive that current policies, as the table right smack in the middle of this story shows.

Way back in 2012, the United States Supreme Court, in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, issued a landmark ruling that upheld the supposed constitutionality of ObamaCare by justifying the individual mandate as a proper exercise of Congress’s taxing power. This is what allowed ObamaCare to continue to be a drain on our economy and the American taxpayer.

FreedomWorks Vice President of Legislative Affairs made the statements below on the recent developments at the White House concerning health insurance. Concerning Thursday’s executive order about association health plans, Jason Pye said:

Last week, four Republican senators unveiled a proposal that could present a path forward on health insurance reform. The proposal, introduced in the form of an amendment to the House-passed version of H.R. 1628, is far from perfect, and it's not the repeal of ObamaCare that was promised. Nevertheless, FreedomWorks is treating it as what is likely to be the last serious attempt at health insurance reform before the September 30 deadline for reconciliation under the FY 2017 budget resolution.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced today that it planned to reduce the budget to promote health plans available on the ObamaCare exchanges from the roughly $100 million spent during the last open enrollment period to $10 million for the upcoming open enrollment period, which is set to begin on November 1 and end on December 15. There will also be a reduction in funding for Navigators, from $62.5 million last year to $36.8 million this year.

September may be the busiest month of 2017 for Congress. There is a long list of must-pass legislation on the agenda, including the debt limit and appropriations for at least part of FY 2018, when Congress reconvenes on Tuesday, September 5. The calendar, however, isn't kind. There are only 12 legislative days scheduled in the House and 17 in the Senate.